Category: Americas

Mexico Says Expecting Migration Surge in 2021

Mexico officials have said they expect a spike in mass migration this year driven by natural disasters, failed economies, and the negative impact of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic. Nashieli Ramirez Hernandez, the head of Mexico’s Human Rights Commission (Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos, CNDH), said during a press briefing last week that…


China Insider: Dangerous COVID-19 Variants Rage Around the World

By Jan. 30, excluding mainland China, there were nearly 103 million confirmed COVID-19 infections worldwide, and more than 2.2 million deaths. A more concerning issue is that the UK and South African variants are both raging around the world, and they are more transmissible than the previous strains. In addition, the South African variant is…


Bolsonaro Allies Poised to Win Leadership of Brazil’s Congress

BRASILIA—Allies of Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro are set to win leadership roles in Congress on Feb. 1, bolstering his standing but not necessarily his economic team’s reform agenda, analysts and politicians said. Rodrigo Pacheco of the center-right Democrats party, whom Bolsonaro has endorsed, is expected to easily win election as president of the Senate,…


Mexican Telecoms Magnate Slim Returns Home After Hospitalization With COVID-19

MEXICO CITY—Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, one of the world’s richest men, has returned home from hospital following a bout of COVID-19 and is feeling well, his spokesman Arturo Elias said on Saturday. During the past week, Slim had been getting medical attention at the National Institute of Nutrition, a public health center in Mexico City….


Venezuela Hired Democratic Party Donor for $6 Million

MIAMI—Newly filed lobbying records (pdf) show Venezuela’s socialist government previously hired a longtime Democratic Party donor for $6 million at the same time it was lobbying to discourage the U.S. from imposing sanctions on the oil-rich nation. The documents, which were disclosed Thursday, show a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil giant PDVSA agreed to…


Indo-Pacific Remains a Key Focus for Australia, US Alliance

The Indo-Pacific remains a key focus of the Australia-United States alliance, both Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin affirmed on Jan. 27. Reynolds and Austin spoke for the first time since the new defence secretary took office in January. Reynolds said the meeting was a “warm and productive” conversation between…


FDA Issues Alert on Hand Sanitizers Imported From Mexico Amid Safety Concerns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an import alert on alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico amid serious safety concerns. “Under the import alert, alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico offered for import are subject to heightened FDA scrutiny, and FDA staff may detain the shipment,” a statement from the agency posted on Tuesday reads. “As part…


Cybercops Derail Malware Botnet, FBI Makes Ransomware Arrest

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—European and North American cyber cops have joined forces to disrupt what may be the world’s largest network for seeding malware infections. The operation appears to strike a major blow against criminal gangs that have used that network for years to install ransomware for extortion schemes and to steal data and money. Separately,…


Mexico’s Richest Man Carlos Slim Hospitalized With COVID-19

MEXICO CITY—Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, one of the world’s richest men, remains hospitalized with COVID-19, spokesman Arturo Elias said on Wednesday. The 80-year-old telecoms magnate has been receiving treatment at the National Institute of Nutrition, a public health center in Mexico City, since his son confirmed on Monday that he had tested positive. “He’s in…


Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim Has COVID-19

MEXICO CITY—The son of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim announced Monday that his father has COVID-19 and is responding to treatment. Carlos Slim Domit wrote in his Twitter account that his 80-year-old father started having minor symptoms a week ago, and has gone to one of the country’s foremost hospitals for care. The son said the…